Not A Thing
by magikarp27
Summary: Anissa reflects on her unexpected relationship with Luke. Horrible summary, I know. LukexAnissa.


**Not A Thing**

**Series: **Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harvest Moon.

While he wasn't her idea of a perfect man, Anissa still couldn't come up with one thing about him that she would change. Her father, on the other hand, could probably come up with a million, but that's different: father's have a strange protectiveness with their daughters, and Anissa believed he would have found a flaw in any man she brought home, even Jin.

He worked long hours, though she bet most of those hours were spent goofing around than actually working. He took great care of his body externally, but there were a few areas she wished she could tweak about his internal maintenance, such as his erratic diet consisting mostly of mayonnaise and over consumption of cocktails. His clothes were usually in tatters; Anissa didn't mind mending them, but her skills at sewing and needle work paled in comparison to that of Candace. However, he never complained, even when she was forced to fix a big hole on the front of his vest with an ugly square of orange fabric; he paraded around Waffle Island with pride, showing off his girlfriend's unique patchwork as if it were his child. Thinking of that memory made Anissa laugh out loud every time no matter the situation.

Yes, against all odds, it seems the one who made her the happiest and whom she could comfortably imagine spending the rest of her life with was indeed Luke, the wild and rugged carpenter.

"Hey baby!" came his sing-song voice, slicing through her thoughts and the quite atmosphere of her private herb garden. She stood and turned, wiping the sweat from her brow and holding a basket overflowing with herbs in every color of the rainbow. He came running along the path, waving his hands like a little kid, a goofy grin spread from ear to ear. His smile had an infectious quality to it, and Anissa couldn't help but feel a warmth spread through her body whenever she saw it. She waved back, making her way to meet him on the path, both covered in dirt. Therein laid one more reason she loved Luke; he was totally comfortable in his own skin, and couldn't care less about others' appearance either. In the past, she would have quickly brushed away the dusty soil that gathered on her clothing while she gardened whenever a man came into view, but Luke couldn't stand it when she _did _do that. He said seeing her filthy was an amazing sight, and she punch him playfully in the arm at the misleading comment while he roared with laughter. Since then, she didn't fuss over such small matters.

"Luke, how was work?" Asking such a question made Anissa feel like Luke's wife, greeting him at the door with a smile and a kiss when he arrives home from a long day's work. The idea made her smile just as carefree as Luke's, and Luke took notice of the small change.

"Hey you, what's got you smiling so big?" He asked.

She sat the basket at their feet, brushing a stray piece of hair from her eyes. "Don't worry about it. What's up?"

"Feel like a little dinner?" How late had it gotten? She glanced down at her wrist watch, shocked at what she saw. _Come to think of it, I do feel a little empty right now._

"I'd love to. I just need to go freshen up-" he caught her arm as she turned for her front doors, stopping her in her tracks.

"No need, you look great!" He smiled, and just as Anissa was about to protest, she sighed and decided against it. She had changed a lot since dating Luke, and one big change (along with the dirt) was the security she felt with him. She knew that if anyone bothered her about her appearance he would quickly jump to her defense, and even if someone made a comment or two it wouldn't matter, as she was with Luke and when that happened the whole world seemed to disappear around them. Placing her basket on the porch, she hooked arms with Luke as he lead her away to the Sundae Inn.

Despite his protestations, she did at least wash her hands before they ordered, and Luke grudgingly did the same. Anissa was no fool, she knew what infections such as could do to one's body, and since he followed her example she determined Luke wasn't a fool either. Maybe more of a follower than a leader, but not a fool.

They had a lovely meal, and Anissa griped when Luke ordered spinach cake for dinner. "Why not have some steamed spinach instead and the cake for dessert?"

"Why _not_?"

His response didn't make a whole lot of sense to Anissa, but shrugged it off, figuring spinach cake was a lot more nutritious than chocolate cake. She, on the other hand, had a well prepared shining herb fish and herbal tea with a slice of lemon. After squeezing the fruit's juice into her drink, Luke insisted on sucking up what little precious juice was left of the dry wedge of lemon, and Anissa just smiled and shook her head in surrender to Luke's innocent and quirky antics.

"Luke I just..."

"Yeah?" He said, the remnants of a twisted expression from the juice on his face.

"I just couldn't change one thing about you. I don't think life would be as enjoyable if you every changed." She blushed at the sudden release of her innermost thoughts. They had only been dating for five months, and this seemed like a fast move on her part, that it was too early to be discussing personality changes or lack thereof. Luke had that way about him. He always made every newcomer his best friend, and that warmth radiated from him like the sun's rays produce heat. It was easy to open up to Luke, and he's told her stories of visiting distant islands as a teenager with his dad and how people on the trains there would suddenly open up to him with their problems. Usually, he just responded with a shining smile and a pat on the back, the only advice being "Don't worry!" She had been in that same position a number of times in the past, and somehow she felt unable to worry when he said that to her; it was like receiving permission to let go of one's worries.

With little bits of green on his teeth, he smiled wide and said, "Don't worry, Pop tells me all the time I'll never grow up even if my life depended on it."

"That's a good thing."

He walked her home, as he usually did, which she savored. Her parents had a cute little habit they often did when they were bored: argue. Luke could never keep quiet for beans, but at least what he said was humorous optimism instead of stabs at one's shortcomings. When they bounded the porch steps and faced one another in front of her house, Anissa saw the living room curtains shift. _Dad_. She closed her eyes as Luke leaned over and kissed her deeply. Every kiss goodbye were never like the ones she shared with boys in the past, which usually consisted of a quick peck on the cheek and a "good night". But with Luke, every kiss was enacted as if it were their last, with a lot of love in each one. She could _seriously_ get use to that.

When their kiss was finally broken due to lack of oxygen, she gave him an extra one on the cheek. "Thank you for dinner," she beamed, and he beamed back.

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night." She turned and entered her home, rushing up to her room to watch him walk away from her window. _I'll see you tomorrow._ She couldn't wait.

**A/N:** This isn't so much a story or a one-shot as it's one long thought about the way the relationship between Luke and Anissa _could_ be like. When I played ToT, when word had spread that Anissa was getting married to Jin, Luke said something about how that was too bad because she was "a babe". And that's how the idea of their becoming a couple popped into my head. I do like LukexCandace a lot, but I think I might like LukexAnissa a little more. Just a little.


End file.
